Euromusic Song Contest 2018
The Euromusic Song Contest 2017 will be the 10th edition of the annual Euromusic Song Contest. The contest will be hosted by Italy for the first time following Ariana Grande's victory in the 2017 edition with her song "Origo". Depending on the final number of participants, the contest may consist of semi-finals alongside the final, as had been done with a format of two semi-finals and a final since 2009. At the Heads of Delegations meeting held on 11 March 2017 in Switzerland, it was announced that the preliminary dates for the two semi-finals are 11 and 13 June, with the final on 15 June 2018. These dates may be subject to change. This will be the first time Italy hosts the contest. Presenter(s) 'Lady Gaga' Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her unconventionality and provocative work as well as experimenting with new images. Gaga began her musical career performing songs at open mic nights and school plays. She studied at CAP21 through New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before dropping out to become a professional musician. After Def Jam Recordings cancelled her contract, Gaga worked as a songwriter for Sony/ATV Music Publishing, where Akon helped her sign a joint deal with Interscope Records and his own label KonLive Distribution in 2007. She rose to prominence the following year with her debut album, a dance-pop and electropop record titled The Fame, and its chart-topping singles "Just Dance" and "Poker Face". A follow-up EP, The Fame Monster (2009), featuring the singles "Bad Romance", "Telephone", and "Alejandro", also proved successful. Gaga's second full-length album Born This Way (2011) explored electronic rock and techno. The album topped the US charts, where it sold more than one million copies in its first week. Its title track also became the fastest selling song on iTunes with over a million downloads in less than a week. Gaga ventured into R&B and disco with her third album Artpop (2013), which topped the US charts and included the single "Applause". In 2014, Gaga released a jazz album with Tony Bennett titled Cheek to Cheek, her third consecutive number one album in the US. For her acting work in the television series American Horror Story: Hotel (2015–2016), Gaga won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in 2016. Her fifth studio album, Joanne (2016), incorporated genres such as country and pop, and she became the first woman to have four US number one albums in the 2010s when it topped the country's charts. In February 2017, Gaga performed the Super Bowl LI halftime show, which was met with critical acclaim. 'Raffaello Balzo' Raffaello Balzo was born on March 18, 1975 in Artegna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy. He is an actor, known for Elisa Di Rivombrosa 2 (2005), Matrimonio alle Bahamas (2007) and Il soffio dell'anima (2009). Location For more details on the host country, see Italy As of 12 June 2017, six cities have expressed an interest in hosting the contest: Pesaro, Bologna, Milan, Florence, Torino and Rome. 'Bidding phase' The Deputy Chief of the host broadcaster, the Rai – Radiotelevisione italiana and the Head of Delegation for Italy, stated on 10 June 2017 that the first organisational meeting for the contest would take place before 8 July, during which the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and Rai – Radiotelevisione italiana would go through the technical requirements for the contest, as well as any training required for the contest to take place in Italy. On 15 June 2017 Rai – Radiotelevisione italiana(Rai) relieved the stage idea design for the 2018 edition. They declared that wants a unique stage and very expensive one no matter where the show will be. The stage will costs 17,000,000 €. Rai – Radiotelevisione italiana and the Italian Government formally launched the bidding process for interested cities to apply to host the contest on 12 June. The selection of the host city was scheduled to be conducted in two stages: #12 June – 16 June: Interested cities were formally invited to submit their bids. #16–21 June: The four shortlisted cities were inspected by representatives from the EBU and LOC to explore their infrastructure and implementation of their bids. A press conference was initially planned to be held during this period to announce the selection results and the host city. Format Visual design The theme for the contest, All Aboard!, was unveiled on 7 November 2017. Its visual design features oceanic motifs that allude to Lisbon's location along the country's Atlantic coast; alongside the main emblem, which depicts a stylized seashell, twelve supplemental emblems were designed to symbolize different aspects of a marine ecosystem. Semi-final allocation draw The draw to determine in which semi-final each country will participate is scheduled for 29 January 2018, 13:00 CET, at Lisbon's City Hall. The thirty-seven semi-finalists had been allocated into six pots, based on historical voting patterns as calculated by the contest's official televoting partner Digame. Drawing from different pots helps to reduce the chance of so-called "bloc voting" and increase suspense in the semi-finals. The ceremony will be hosted by contest presenters Sílvia Alberto and Filomena Cautela. Wildcards Two wildcards will be given in each semi-final and one in the Grand Final: * Albania Unused * Finland Unused * France Unused * Hungary USED (Switched with Montenegro) * San Marino Unused Betting Odds Participating countries The following countries have expressed their provisional interest in participating in the contest: 'Semi-Final 1' Norway, Spain and United Kingdom will vote and perform in this semi-final. 'Semi-Final 2' France, Germany and Italy will vote and perform in this semi-final. 'Grand Final' Scoreboard Semi-final 1 Semi-final 2 Grand Final Returning artists Other awards OGAE Organisation Générale des Amateurs de l'Eurovision (more commonly known as OGAE) is an international organisation that was founded in 1984 in Savonlinna, Finland by Jari-Pekka Koikkalainen. The organisation consists of a network of over 40 Euromusic Song Contest fan clubs across Europe and beyond, and is a non-governmental, non-political, and non-profit company. In what has become an annual tradition for the OGAE fan clubs, a voting poll will run prior to the main Euromusic Song Contest allowing members from over 40 clubs to vote for their favourite songs of the contest. Other countries Eligibility for participation in the Euromusic Song Contest requires a national broadcaster with active EBU membership, or a special invitation from the EBU as in the case of Australia. Several countries have provisionally confirmed their participation in the contest, while information from the remaining members regarding their participation has not yet been disclosed. 'Active EBU members' Andorra – The Director General of Ràdio i Televisió d'Andorra (RTVA) announced on 14 May 2017 that Andorra would not participate in the contest, due to financial difficulties and the restructuring of the company. Bosnia and Herzegovina – On 18 September 2017, BHRT confirmed that Bosnia and Herzegovina will not return to the Eurovision Song Contest in 2018. Luxembourg – Steve Schmit, the Director of Programming at the Luxembourgish broadcaster (RTL) explained last year the reasons against participating in the Euromusic Song Contest. He also underlined that Luxembourg’s chance for success in the contest is limited, "I believe that (with) the enlargement of Euromusic, the days (of victory) are gone. With the new voting system, it is very unlikely that Luxembourg is successful. Macedonia – On 30 October 2017, the EBU blocked Macedonia's participation, due to repeatedly unpaid debts from the national broadcaster MRT to the EBU and being unable to broadcast the Event.